About Us
About the Association
The Esgenoôpetitj Watershed Association (EWA) is a Non-Profit First Nations Organization first established in 2016 with the help of Esgenoôpetitj First Nation Leadership, First Nations, Stakeholders, the Tabusintac Watershed Association, Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the Department of Environment and Local Government of New Brunswick.
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The EWA works in partnership with First Nations, Government, groups, and individuals to improve and maintain the health of the local ecosystems and to create a healthy and safe place to live and work for current and future generations. The EWA’s goals include gathering environmental baseline data, preparing, and adapting to climate change and monitoring water quality.
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Esgenoôpetitj First Nation, formerly known as Burnt Church First Nation, is located on the Northeastern Coast of New Brunswick, along the Gulf of the St. Lawrence River. Esgenoôpetitj First Nation has three surveyed reserve lands: Esgenoôpetitj 14 on Miramichi Bay where the majority of members live (985 hectares), Tabusintac 9 (3269 ha) and Pokemouche 13 (151 ha). Esgenoôpetitj 14 is within the Esgenoôpetitj Watershed. In the Esgenoôpetitj Watershed, there are rivers, salt marshes, swamps, provincially significant wetlands, and sandy beaches. The main river systems in the watershed are Anderson’s Brook, Burnt Church River, Indian Brook, Sipu’jij, Big Brook, and Bubbling Brook.
What is a watershed
“A watershed is a topographic area where all the water within drains to a common point (ex: Burnt Church River drains into the Miramichi Bay). The health of a watershed is very important because any impact, such as poor water quality, will eventually flow downstream to the common point and thus have an impact on it.”